Tag Archives: Shenzhen

This exquisite aerial tower with 99 floating islands by Sou Fujimoto Architects visualizes our diverse future!

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In the Qianhaiwan district of Shenzhen, China, the winning architectural design for the city’s New City Center Landmark competition has been given to Sou Fujimoto Architects for their floating water tower. Slated for ascent in Qianhai Bay, the new tower will appear almost like a freestanding, cylindrical water fountain. Rising to 268-meters in height, Sou Fujimoto Arhcitects’s tower will feature 99 pillar-like support beams, or “islands,” to carry the tower’s upper horizontal structure. Starting from the bay and moving towards the round upper deck, the pillars of the new tower gradually expand in width and stature to close in on the design’s symbolic ode to “the future of society in the age of diversity.”

Finding the initial inspiration for the ‘99-island’ tower, Sou Fujimoto turned to iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower to develop their own urban monument for the modern age, asking, “What does a new ‘tower’ mean in the 21st Century? How can a tower evolve while continuing to attract attention, as the Eiffel Tower does? And [one] which would face towards the bay?” From afar, the new tower will appear as a single entity, a solid structure, slowly distinguishing itself as a collection of columnar pillars that gradually split upon closer viewing. The illusion of being one solid structure as well as an orchestra of different parts sheds a brighter light on Sou Fujimoto Architects’ initial concept of inhabiting a future during this burgeoning age of diversity.

The new tower’s uppermost plane serves as a viewing platform, doubling as a three-dimensional exhibition space with enough room for both a restaurant and cafe. In addition to the minimal structural support that the pillars provide for the round upper deck, a centralized core bolsters the tower, which is then stabilized with a steel truss system and Kevlar tension cables located around the outer edge of the tower’s base. Constructed primarily from steel, concrete, Kevlar Rope, and carbon fiber, Sou Fujimoto Architects’ design for the New City Center Landmark competition uses structurally sound and unadorned building material to realize a contemporary microcosm of our diverse, complex, and ever-evolving world.

Designer: Sou Fujimoto Architects

Appearing as if it’s suspended from mid-air, the plan for the new tower will feature 99 island-like pillars stemming from the round upper deck to the bay.

The upper deck works as an exhibition space.

From afar, the new tower looks like a freestanding, cylindrical water fountain.

The upper viewing area is meant to appeal to tourists and residents alike as a social hub where new views of the city can be accessed.

A centralized core supports the tower while a peripherally located steel truss system and additional Kevlar tension cables stabilize it.

Inside the tower, tourists can view the bay from below and rise to 268-meters above sea level.

A three-dimensional exhibition space gives tourists space to enjoy all the amenities the new tower has to offer.

Shenzhen’s Maritime Museum is a hub of educational experiences that resemble a cluster of glass icebergs!

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Oh, how I miss museums – those architectural hubs of knowledge that take you through decades-long history lessons, bring you up close to works of art, and introduce you to hidden parts of the world, all in a matter of a couple of hours. Some cities still have the doors of their museums locked to the general public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but designers are still drawing up plans for the museums of tomorrow. OPEN Architecture recently revealed the visual concept that made them finalists in the International Architecture Design Competition for the Shenzhen Maritime Museum.

OPEN Architecture’s competition entry showcases six glass structures shaped to resemble icebergs stationed in Shenzhen Bay, which house curatorial rooms including the lobby, theater, library, and children’s education wing. Considering today’s global climate crisis, the designers behind the plan for the future Shenzhen Maritime Museum hope to bridge the urgency of climate change with an accessible means of learning more about it. The familiar sight of icebergs will bring the faraway, harsh reality face-to-face with residents of China, igniting awareness of the global rise in sea-levels and oceanic temperatures.

To make the space for the cluster of iceberg-shaped glass structures, OPEN Architecture plans to form a sea dike between two layers of seawalls positioned at different heights, implementing a protective barrier of mangrove wetlands behind it, to also function as a reserve for migrating birds and habitat for marine life. The water surrounding the iceberg structure rises to the horizon, in the style of an infinity pool, to help minimize the impact of seasonal typhoons while also helping to maintain the building’s overall heat load and indoor temperatures.

The Shenzhen Maritime Museum International Architecture Design Competition indicates the beginning of a larger design project, making the Maritime Museum the first of Shenzhen’s ‘ten new major cultural facilities’ currently in the works. The final chosen design will stand as a prominent landmark amidst Shenzhen’s developing coastal region, which aspires to one day become the city’s global maritime center.

Designer: OPEN Architecture

The design’s main event takes place as one of the five ‘icebergs’ drift away into Shenzhen Bay as guests watch an educational video in the iceberg’s theater.

Five icebergs stay stationed in place behind the Maritime Museum’s main iceberg, where events and viewings will be held.

Connecting each individual iceberg are dry pathways for guests to walk through with the waters of Shenzhen Bay surrounding them.

At night, the icebergs light up with brilliant white light to resemble icebergs found in the world’s Arctic region.

Inside each iceberg, guests will find the traditional museum layout familiar and educational.

With mangrove wetlands working as a protective barrier for the museum, they will also provide plenty of space and protection for the area’s natural marine life and bird populations.

China’s first fully driverless robotaxis hit the streets of Shenzhen

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Fully driverless robotaxis are now a practical reality on Chinese roads. AutoX has become the first company to put a fleet of the completely driver-free vehicles on the country’s streets, with the cars now roaming Shenzhen. They’re not yet available...

LG’s transparent OLED displays are on subway windows in China

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LG is bringing transparent OLED displays to subways in Beijing and Shenzhen. The 55-inch, see-through displays show real-time info about subway schedules, locations and transfers on train windows. They also provide info on flights, weather and the ne...

Why lust after an AirPower mat when this flexible device lets you charge and dock all your devices

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Rumor has it that the AirPower mat, which Apple suddenly and surreptitiously axed behind closed doors, isn’t quite dead yet. The company is reportedly working on a smaller wireless charging mat, but until Tim steps up on stage (or in front of a video camera) and makes the announcement, let’s just re-evaluate our alternatives… like this 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Mat which works as an angled dock for your devices too.

The 3-in-1 mat is named for its ability to charge 3 devices at once. The foldable mat also flips open into an angled stand, becoming an easel for your devices. A three-pronged LED indicator on top points at three separate charging zones where you can place your devices. You can either charge your phone in portrait or in landscape, although the former frees up space at the bottom for a pair of AirPods. The mat even comes with a dedicated charging zone on the top right for your Apple Watch, allowing you to even secure it in place using a cutout at the base to slide your band through. All in all, the charger is as flat as an AirPower mat and can handle as many devices, but it’s much more versatile, allowing you to not just charge your devices but dock them too in a way that makes them easier to view while kept on a desk or bedside table. ‘Classy’, as Jim Halpert would say.

The 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Mat is a winner of the iF Design Award for the year 2020.

Designer: Shenzhen Renqing Excellent Technology Co., Ltd.

Fiat Chrysler and AutoX confirm plans to work on robotaxis

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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is joining forces with the Chinese startup AutoX to bring self-driving robotaxis to China. The companies confirmed rumors of their partnership today and announced that the AutoX AI Driver platform will be installed in...